Why embracing change in newsrooms is the normal as Gulf News innovates again

“The only constant in life is change" said the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus some 2,500 years ago. His thinking was based on the idea that we never actually achieve an end goal, we are always "becoming" but never "being".

 I used to have his quote on the wall in one of my old offices. A reminder that even when life was much simpler back in ancient Greece, standing still meant going backwards. It seems even more fitting now we are in an age of radical transformation across industries.

It sometimes feels like the media business changes by the day. I’ve been in the industry for more than 20 years and every week there is a new challenge, which is maybe why I have so many grey hairs. Technology accelerates, how we want to consume information changes and our daily lives get ever fuller and more hectic.

I thought of that quote when we sat down a few months ago to think about the direction of Gulf News. Our very experienced CEO, Vijay Vaghela, has been at the centre of many of the biggest media changes over the last few decades and we share a similar mindset of not sitting on our hands no matter the challenges the country may face.

As part of this forward-thinking journey, I’m delighted that we are today revealing a new sonic brand for Gulf News. I had never heard the term before until I met the effervescent Ahmad Haffar, who has created the sound identities of many major brands in the UAE and beyond. In my naivety, I first thought of it as a ‘jingle’ - one of those catchy sounds you hear and it never leaves your subconscious. There’s an element of that, but Ahmad’s work goes much deeper into what a brand stands for and how music stirs emotions and beliefs. We’ve focused ours on trust, the most important word we have on our office wall. 

We have videos and articles explaining this in more detail, so please do take a look. You’ll start to hear our ‘sonic’ across our platforms from today, as well as at our events.

On top of this, we have also been what I describe as ‘brand polishing’, giving a few tweaks across our digital platforms and events. It’s been a lot of work and we’re delighted with the results. I’m always pleased to hear feedback from you all, so do get in touch.

I’m also delighted to welcome Ahmad as a brand ambassador for Gulf News. He brings more energy than a double shot of espresso, the personality of a stand-up comedian mixed with a boardroom exec and an incredible warmth and love for what Gulf News means to this country, which he cares for passionately. Oh, and that ‘Voice of Dubai’ is also pretty special!

Ahmad will be supporting us on various projects over the coming weeks and months. Welcome on board the news media rollercoaster, Ahmad, there’s nothing quite like it.

I had mentioned we had a few surprises coming. Well, this is just the first - there’s plenty more to come.